37 futuristic logos that are light-years ahead of their time

Why live in the now when you can live in the future? Time machines may not exist (yet), but until they do, you can settle for putting your brand on the forefront of tomorrow with a futuristic logo.

Any company in any industry can use a futuristic logo to communicate that it’s ahead of the curve. In some industries, like tech and pharmaceutical, doing so is expected. In others, like landscaping and personal injury law, a futuristic logo isn’t the obvious choice—which is exactly why it can make your brand stand out.

Futuristic logos come in many forms, and that’s why we’ve put together these tips to guide you on your journey into the unknown. With any luck, you’ll end up writing your own brand into the future of design.

What are the characteristics of a futuristic logo?
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So how do you make your logo look futuristic? That’s a tricky question, because there’s no objective measure of what’s futuristic and what isn’t. And something that feels futuristic now isn’t going to feel that way forever because as time marches forward, so will our ideas of what’s new, what’s modern and what’s vintage. Some brands intentionally go for an outdated futuristic look through retrofuturism, like so:

But logos like these lean much more heavily towards the “retro” than the “futuristic.” Creating a logo that feels futuristic now means gazing deep into your black mirror and dredging up all of the different ways we currently think of “the future.” Right now, that’s a world where the climate’s changed considerably (or not), where the mysteries of the universe are less mysterious, where everything’s connected through the digital landscape and where computers have taken over (hopefully not literally).

The next step is to communicate these concepts visually, and we’ve rounded up some excellent futuristic logo designs and tips to show you how.

Space age elements
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There’s a reason why so many stories set in the future involve space travel—it’s humanity’s logical next step. So it’s no wonder that incorporating space age elements into your logo design will give it a futuristic feel.

There’s a few different ways to do this: you can work with literal images of space shuttles, astronauts, stars and planets, or you can take it in a more abstract direction with geometric shapes that remind people of constellations or gradients that feel like nebulae. The bottom line is to create a logo that feels out of this world.

Glimpses of futuristic tech
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Futuristic logos are inevitably tech-inspired, whether they belong to tech companies or they simply allude to our tech-centric lifestyle. You can’t have futurism without acknowledging the role technology plays in advancing our society. Demonstrate that in your logo with imagery reminiscent of nodes, networks and alternative energy sources. This might mean a backdrop of tightly winding circuits or something less overtly techy like using green or gold—colors that bring to mind circuit boards. Use high-gloss metallics to up your logo’s futuristic feel, because in the future, everything is shiny and new.

Scientific allusions
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Logos that incorporate life’s microscopic building blocks like DNA helixes and atoms feel futuristic because despite their existing since the Big Bang, humans only began to study and understand them recently in our history. And understanding life’s microscopic components drives our understanding of our world and and what it can be.

Create a science-inspired logo with elements like:

Literal elements, straight from the periodic table

DNA helixes

Atoms and their components

Cells

Microscopic organisms like amoebas

Lab tools

Even if your work is not in the science field, a depiction of a helix can represent a ladder towards progress and innovation while some cellular nodes can give your logo that futuristic look while keeping everything abstract.

Fonts of the future
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Your futuristic logo needs a futuristic typeface. One popular style is the wormlike curves and minimalism inspired by the longtime NASA logo. It doesn’t matter that the wordmark is actually quite old because it’s been associated with space exploration for decades.

Other futuristic-feeling fonts are ones with hard angles, geometric shapes, all caps and symmetry. Usually, they’re bold, with embossing and chrome that mirrors the look of machines. When they’re not bold, they’re thin and utilitarian like code.

Powered-on logos
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Today, everything’s connected. Your doorbell is connected to your smartphone, and your smartphone is connected to your bank account. There’s a lot of power at your fingertips, provided you’ve remembered to charge the battery.

When you think about it, the future is looking to be more and more about energy, and it’s the reason why putting a glow on your logo can make it feel like it’s switched on to this vivid trend. You can accomplish this with a single bright point in your logo, mimicking the on/off lights of electronics. Or use diffused neon to create a futuristic logo with a cyberpunk vibe. If done right, your logo will shine like a beacon of the exciting world of tomorrow.

Evolve your brand with a futuristic logo
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Regardless of whether your industry has to do with futuristic technology, you can make your brand look and feel like it’s on the cutting edge with a futuristic logo. By choosing a look that’s ahead of your time, you can set the pace for your competitors to follow.

Want to beam your brand into the future?

Find a designer to create a futuristic logo today!

The author

Lindsay is a freelance writer and editor who loves all things creepy, beachy, and cheesy. If something somehow hits all three, all the better. Aside from writing, her interests include making art, reading tarot cards, and exploring new places. To learn more about Lindsay’s writing, visit lindsaykramercopywriting.com.